The NBA writer that has Austin Reaves closer to Team USA for 2024 than expected

Team USA failed to accomplish their goal of winning a medal in the past FIBA World Cup, as they lost against Canada in the game for the bronze medal.

Immediately following the disastrous outcome, reports had LeBron James recruiting some of the biggest NBA stars to join him to win the gold medal in the 2024 Olympics.

But even international teams do need a few role players that can easily fit into a smaller role on the team. One of those players could be Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who just finished participating in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup with Team USA.

According to The Athletic's Joe Vardon, Reaves is one of the better players on the roster for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup, and having experience now to play off of, he could be a perfect player on the Olympic team next season alongside all of the top-tier stars.

“USA Basketball deep thinkers want players of all skill levels to come to the program with the belief that they will be better for it, which is exactly what happened with Reaves.” Wrote Joe Vardon.

Why Team USA should bring Reaves back

Team USA will need to round out the roster with players just like Reaves, so why not him? It makes complete sense, and he already has that familiarity playing with James.